Boston College football coach Steve Addazio reported that sophomore wide receiver Harrison Jackson remained in an El Paso hospital for observation after he sustained a vicious upper-body hit in the third quarter against New Mexico State on Saturday that resulted in some chest trauma.

Jackson was able to get off the field after the hit but collapsed in front of BC’s bench. He was immediately attended to by the team’s medical staff and taken to a hospital following the game.

Barry Gallup, BC’s associate athletic director, and the Rev.
Jack Butler, S.J., BC’s vice president for University Mission and Ministry and the team chaplain, remained in El Paso with Jackson, who recorded the first touchdown catch of his career on a 7-yard toss from Chase Rettig to give the Eagles a 20-10 second-quarter lead.

Addazio said the team is waiting on medical clearance for Jackson, who is likely to be out for the remainder of the season, to return to Boston.

“He’s healing. He’s in good spirits,’’ Addazio said. “We have been in communication with him and his family.’’

In a tweet Monday, Jackson thanked his followers for their support and added, “My lungs might be hurt but my faith is still staying strong.”

Williams wants W

So what does Andre Williams do for an encore? How can the senior running back possibly top — or even duplicate — his school-record 295-yard rushing performance in Saturday’s 48-34 victory?

When the Eagles host ACC foe North Carolina State on Saturday in their
home finale, Williams, the nation’s leading rusher at 163.4 yards per game, will have but one objective.

“I’m just looking for the W, because I just want my last game at Alumni Stadium to be a win,’’ said Williams. “That is more important than anything.’’

The Eagles (5-4, 2-3) will attempt to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010 — one of the major goals Addazio set for the season. It seemed like a reach at the beginning of the season, but it is within BC’s grasp with a victory against N.C. State (3-6, 0-6), which is coming off a 38-20 loss at Duke.

After coaching Montel Harris — whose record Williams broke — at Temple, Addazio was asked to contrast the two running backs.

“Montel was more of a zone-read type of runner,’’ Addazio said. “But Andre is a unique guy because of his speed, power, and size. I don’t think people realize how fast he is. He’s strong and he’s fast.’’

Against New Mexico State, Williams gave a dazzling demonstration of his speed and strength when he scored on a pair of fourth-quarter runs of 80 and 47 yards. They came on two of his last three rushing attempts in a 30-carry performance. And, no less, in the thin New Mexico air that robbed his lungs of oxygen.

“You have to be able to wear down a defense and finish in the fourth quarter,’’ Williams said. “That’s always been something we’ve hung our hat on as a team. We’re not going to die down in the fourth quarter. We’re coming just as strong as we did in the first, and if you’re not ready for it, it could be the difference between a win and a loss.’’

With 1,471 yards on the season, Williams is now 256 shy of breaking the BC season record (1,726) set by Mike Cloud in 1998.

“It is driving me,’’ Williams said. “Because you walk around the concourse [at Alumni Stadium] and you see these banners of all the great BC running backs who have come before and what they’ve been able to do, and it puts you in awe.

“It’s just the fact that I’m this close to it, I just feel blessed. I just feel like it couldn’t have turned out any better. The only people I have to thank for it is the coaching staff for being able to whip us into a team that’s able to compete and execute at such a high level, my teammates, the senior class, the line, really, just the whole team for playing well together.’’

Hands of Steele

Steele Divitto was named ACC Co-Linebacker of the Week after matching his career high with 18 tackles in Saturday’s win . . . Dominique Williams was credited with 13 tackles (8 solo) while Manny Asprilla recorded 11 (8 solo) and a pair of pass breakups. Defensive end Kasim Edebali recorded a sack, giving BC 25 on the season . . . The ACC announced that BC’s game at Maryland a week from Saturday will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be televised on the ACC Regional Sports Network.